Title: The Holy Spirit and the Word...
Peter's first sermon
I remember the first time I preached. I prepared hard, but I was bewildered and frozen, and I didn't know how to preach. But Peter's first sermon was not like that. Peter's first sermon is recorded in the text. It was my first sermon, but it was the best and most complete sermon. Peter denied Jesus by swearing he didn't know him when he was suffering, and after Jesus died, he was hiding behind closed doors, holding his breath. How could such a Peter be able to preach so boldly? It was because he was filled with the Holy Spirit. When Peter, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, preached, as many as 3,000 people repented. This fact shows how important it is for the preacher to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Behind the Spirit-filled preachers historically were many people who prayed for him without ceasing.
The coming of the Holy Spirit came as prophesied.
The Old Testament referenced by Peter is Joel 2:28-32. “Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions, and then I will pour out my Spirit again on male and female servants, and I will perform wonders in heaven. blood and fire and pillars of smoke: the sun will be darkened and the moon will turn into blood before the great and dreadful day of the LORD comes; but whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be saved, because as the LORD has spoken, There will be escape from Jerusalem, and among the remnant there will be those whom the Lord has called.” Through the prophet Joel, God promised to pour out the Holy Spirit on all people in the last days. The coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the fulfillment of that promise. Therefore, Peter insisted that the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost was not a strange thing, but a natural thing that God had promised.
In the prophecy of the prophet Joel, “the last days” refers to the period from the first coming of Jesus to the second coming. God has promised to pour out the Holy Spirit on all believers in these last days. Those who had gathered and prayed were filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost according to the promise. In light of these promises of God, how are we today? God has promised to pour out the Holy Spirit on us in these last days. Have we really been filled with the Holy Spirit? With a sad heart and a contrite heart, we need to pray more diligently. I know that there are many things to pray for. But the most urgent and important thing is to pray for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is because only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit can we receive power and fulfill the mission God has given us.
Jesus is the Lord Christ.
He also quoted Psalm 110:1 to testify of the ascension of Jesus. “The LORD said to my lord, Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for you.” This psalm also does not refer to David himself, since David had never ascended to heaven (34). section). Therefore, this psalm is a prophecy of the ascension of Jesus. Jesus ascended to heaven according to these words and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
By citing the Old Testament, Peter testified that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God, and that His resurrection and ascension had already been foretold in the Old Testament. And he said that Jesus, who was resurrected and ascended into heaven as predicted in the Old Testament, also sent the Holy Spirit as prophesied in the Old Testament. What was characteristic of Peter's sermon was that it was logical, easy to understand, and above all, biblical.
talking about the great things of God
After proving that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God in this way, Peter concluded, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” “Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for sure, that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (verse 36). that was killed.
It is said that the apostles spoke of 'the great works of God' after they were filled with the Holy Spirit, but the 'great works of God' refer to Jesus' savior and his work of salvation, namely the cross and resurrection. In fact, Peter never realized when Jesus was talking about His suffering, His death on the cross, and His resurrection. And when Jesus died on the cross, he hid in fear and trembling. Such Peter is now preaching with great boldness and power by accurately quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. It was impossible to explain it without the presence of the Holy Spirit.
That's right. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you cannot stand still. Even if a person is in a good mood or drunk, he can't sit still and talk a lot. How much more can a person who has been filled with the Holy Spirit remain still? How about you? It can be said that the church and the members who are so gentle and always quiet do not yet know what the filling of the Holy Spirit is. If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will not be able to sing hymns quietly, and your prayers will become more intense. If you read the Bible, you will understand the words and feel the sweet taste. When you meet someone, you are not prepared, but you will come up with something to preach. How do you look now? Isn't your grace dry and your heart cold? We must be especially zealous in prayer. I have to cling earnestly to ask the Holy Spirit to take me completely captive. Because it is impossible to live a Christian life when grace is dry and cold.
What shall we do?
Even today, sometimes we hear a sermon and our hearts are pierced. What should I do if my heart is pierced when I hear the Word? We must sincerely repent. However, there are some people who are tempted by the fact that the preacher preached a sermon that struck him rather than repenting. Of course, a preacher should not do that intentionally. However, since we are busy preaching the Word of God as it is, how can a sermon be aimed at just one person? When you hear a sermon and there is something pierced in your heart, you must repent instead of going into temptation. Only then will the sermon be a true blessing to you.
Word and Spirit
Here we find a very important lesson. The Holy Spirit works through the Word. It was only a few hours after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost that 3,000 people repented after hearing Peter's preaching. Even right after the Holy Spirit's amazing descent, the Holy Spirit did not work alone, but through the Word. This clearly shows that the Holy Spirit works with the Word. And when the Holy Spirit worked through the Word, great power was revealed. Let's remember well. The Holy Spirit, the Word, and the power these three are closely related. Those who ignore or neglect the Word cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit. People without the foundation of the Word are easily deceived by Satan and used. Also, power cannot be revealed without the Holy Spirit working. Therefore, as we strive to hold onto the Word, learn, and meditate on it, we must long for the filling of the Holy Spirit and pray.
Peter's sermon was a powerful sermon with the powerful work of the Holy Spirit. So, an amazing story happened. The three thousand who repented received the Holy Spirit as promised. But what was the result of these many people receiving the Holy Spirit? There must have been gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, the following article shows the beautiful fruit of the Spirit rather than a gift. May the Holy Spirit fully work among us, preachers and believers, and may the power of the Holy Spirit and beautiful fruits be abundantly manifest among us. *